Scribbles & Wanderlust
  • Home
  • About
  • Clients and Representation
  • Book Reviews
    • Reviews 2012
    • Reviews 2013
    • Reviews 2014
    • Reviews 2015
    • Reviews 2016
    • Reviews 2017
    • Reviews 2018
    • Reviews 2019
    • Reviews 2020
    • Reviews 2021
    • Reviews 2022
    • Reviews 2023
    • Reviews 2024
    • Reviews 2025
  • Features
    • Deal Announcement
    • End of Year Book Survey
    • If We Were Having Coffee
    • This Season’s Rewind
  • Discover a New Read
    • Adult
    • Young Adult
    • Middle Grade
  • Author Archives: Laura

    • Upcoming Books! [32]

      Posted at 10:14 pm by Laura, on August 26, 2012

      Title: The Distance Between Us
      Author: Reyna Grande
      Genre: memoir, biography
      Publisher: Atria Books
      Publishing Date: August 28
      Summary: When Reyna Grande’s father leaves his wife and three children behind in a village in Mexico to make the dangerous trek across the border to the United States, he promises he will soon return from “El Otro Lado” (The Other Side) with enough money to build them a dream house where they can all live together. His promises become harder to believe as months turn into years. When he summons his wife to join him, Reyna and her siblings are deposited in the already overburdened household of their stern, unsmiling grandmother.
      The three siblings are forced to look out for themselves; in childish games they find a way to forget the pain of abandonment and learn to solve very adult problems. When their mother at last returns, the reunion sets the stage for a dramatic new chapter in Reyna’s young life: her own journey to “El Otro Lado” to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years, her long-absent father.

      ~

      Title: The Beautiful Mystery
      Author: Louise Penny
      Genre: mystery, thriller
      Publisher: Minotaur Books
      Publishing Date: August 28
      Summary: No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as “the beautiful mystery.” But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery’s massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. One of the brothers, in this life of  prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the remote corridors. Before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.

      ~

      Title: Splendors and Glooms
      Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
      Genre: children’s, fantasy, gothic
      Publisher: Candlewick
      Publishing Date: August 28
      Summary: The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini’s act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a fortune, Grisini accepts and makes a splendidly gaudy entrance with caravan, puppets, and his two orphaned assistants.
      Lizzie Rose and Parsefall are dazzled by the Wintermute home. Clara seems to have everything they lack — adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In fact, Clara’s life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall.
      As they seek to puzzle out Clara’s whereabouts, Lizzie and Parse uncover Grisini’s criminal past and wake up to his evil intentions. Fleeing London, they find themselves caught in a trap set by Grisini’s ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it’s too late.

      Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: children, genre: fiction, genre: gothic, genre: mystery, genre: nonfiction, upcoming books
    • B&N to Sell Nook in UK – Shelf Awareness

      Posted at 7:51 pm by Laura, on August 20, 2012

      Barnes & Noble to Sell Nook in UK – Shelf Awareness

      In October, Barnes & Noble will begin selling the Nook in the U.K. both online and through partnerships with “leading retailers expected to be announced shortly,” the company said. The move marks B&N’s first foreign retail foray.

      Hurray! Everything will be available for UK customers on nook.co.uk. However, I think B&N is still looking for a partner. I’m surprised Waterstones is working with Amazon, as W and B&N are essentially the same store…

      EDIT: Publishers Lunch has more detailed information to offer.

      Nook UK will first sell the company’s Simple Touch and Simple Touch with Glowlight devices, with the tablets available at an undisclosed point. The unnamed UK partners “are expected to support the Nook offering there through both established physical and online channels.”

      Posted in books, Link | 0 Comments | Tagged ebooks, ereaders, news, technology
    • Upcoming Books! [31]

      Posted at 6:59 pm by Laura, on August 19, 2012

      Title: The Orchardist
      Author: Amanda Coplin
      Genre: historical fiction
      Publisher: Harper
      Publishing Date: August 21
      Summary: At the turn of the twentieth century, in a rural stretch of the Pacific Northwest in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, a solitary orchardist named Talmadge carefully tends the grove of fruit trees he has cultivated for nearly half a century. A gentle, solitary man, he finds solace and purpose in the sweetness of the apples, apricots, and plums he grows, and in the quiet, beating heart of the land-the valley of yellow grass bordering a deep canyon that has been his home since he was nine years old. Everything he is and has known is tied to this patch of earth. It is where his widowed mother is buried, taken by illness when he was just thirteen, and where his only companion, his beloved teenaged sister Elsbeth, mysteriously disappeared. It is where the horse wranglers-native men, mostly Nez Perce-pass through each spring with their wild herds, setting up camp in the flowering meadows between the trees.
      One day, while in town to sell his fruit at the market, two girls, barefoot and dirty, steal some apples. Later, they appear on his homestead, cautious yet curious about the man who gave them no chase. Feral, scared, and very pregnant, Jane and her sister Della take up on Talmadage’s land and indulge in his deep reservoir of compassion. Yet just as the girls begin to trust him, brutal men with guns arrive in the orchard, and the shattering tragedy that follows sets Talmadge on an irrevocable course not only to save and protect them, putting himself between the girls and the world, but to reconcile the ghosts of his own troubled past.

      ~

      Title: One Last Thing Before I Go
      Author: Jonathan Tropper
      Genre: contemporary, humor
      Publisher: Dutton Adult
      Publishing Date: August 21
      Summary: Silver has begun to accept that life isn’t going to turn out as he expected. The ex-wife he’s remained friends with is about to marry a terrific guy Silver can’t quite bring himself to hate. And his Princeton-bound teenage daughter has just confided in him that she’s pregnant—because he’s the one she cares least about letting down. As the wedding looms and the pregnancy sinks in, this broken family struggles, bonds, and wrestles with each member’s individual anxieties. Lives begin anew, change radically, or, in Silver’s case—as he discovers that he could die at any moment without an operation he refuses to have—may be about to end in an instant.

      Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: fiction, upcoming books
    • Book Review: “A Discovery of Witches” by Deborah Harkness

      Posted at 2:14 pm by Laura, on August 18, 2012

      A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

      Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

      What a thrill! I was hooked when I read “Oxford’s Bodleian Library” in the summary – it was my favorite spot in Oxford when I lived in England two years ago. A lover of archival stories, fantasies, historical fiction, and romance, this book was absolutely perfect.

      The beauty of Diana’s character is that she is flawed. She is intelligent and athletic, but it’s all about drive, and a desire to avoid who she truly is: a witch. She worked hard for her multiple degrees, and her interests and curiosity motivated her to continue with her education. It’s not natural brilliance, which many authors instill into their characters. Diana is athletic, but only so that she does not succumb to panic attacks. Her adrenaline (which is really her trapped magic) builds up to the point of explosion, and Diana needs to get rid of it in a healthy way. She’s independent, and a very well-rounded character. None of this disappears when Matthew, a vampire, enters the picture.

      Thank goodness.

      Matthew is a fantastic character. I want to describe him as “perfect,” but that’s too cliché for a description of a vampire and he is not perfect in the slightest. Yet, what makes his character great is an excellent blend of instilled human emotion and interaction, mixed with the traditional predator responses. For example, like an animal his emotions change with the slightest scent, movement, distraction. He’s very alpha male without being a dominant, insufferable git who never listens to what others have to say. Yet his human qualities remain: he fights the thirst for blood by establishing a thirst for knowledge.

      As far as the plot goes, this book could be divided into three obvious sections: Oxford is the rising plot, France is the pinnacle, and America is when commotion begins, plotting the next step ensues, and the journey into the next book begins. This All Souls trilogy is going to be brilliant. A wonderful blend of fantasy, romance, science, and history. Using DNA to explain magical creatures? How cool is that?

      Rating: ★★★★★
      Goodreads: 3.97

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: romance, goodreads, review
    • Brain Hive Offers On-Demand K-12 E-book Library Lending – PW

      Posted at 7:29 pm by Laura, on August 17, 2012

      Brain Hive Offers On-Demand K-12 E-book Library Lending – Publishers Weekly – Calvin Reid

      At a time when libraries and publishers are clashing over the ability to lend e-books, Brain Hive, a Minneapolis-based firm, is offering an alternative. Brain Hive is an on-demand pay-as-go e-book lending service offering K-12 schools online access to a library of digital titles.

      … The service offers a collection of about 3,000 e-book titles including fiction, nonfiction and graphic novels aimed at the K-12 education market. The service includes titles from major publishers including Random House Children’s Books, Charlesbridge Publishing, Lerner Publishing, Lee & Low Books, Gecko Press, Open Road Integrated Media and others.

      What a great idea for schools with limited budgets! Teachers and students can “check-out” books for unlimited amounts of time and have multiple copies. Great concept!

      Posted in books, library, Link | 0 Comments | Tagged ebooks, library, news, technology
    • WBN: Working On Night #2 – Shelf Awareness

      Posted at 7:17 pm by Laura, on August 17, 2012

      World Book Night: Working on Night #2 – Shelf Awareness

      Carl Lennertz, World Book Night U.S. executive director commented: “This is a very exciting time for World Book Night and I am so grateful for the support and guidance from such smart people. Year one in America was a resounding success in so many ways, thanks to all the volunteer book givers, booksellers, and librarians in every corner of the country. For 2013, we plan to do even more to elevate the discussion of books, reading, and giving before, on, and after April 23.”

      So many exciting things happening for WBN! Check out the link to view the make-up of the steering committee! Some fantastic folks, by the looks of it.

      Posted in books, Link | 0 Comments | Tagged books, news, world book night
    • New “Great Expectations” Trailer!

      Posted at 3:18 pm by Laura, on August 15, 2012

      Watch here.

      What do you think?

      Posted in books, Link | 0 Comments
    • Upcoming Books! [30]

      Posted at 11:00 am by Laura, on August 12, 2012

      Title: The Kingmaker’s Daughter
      Author: Philippa Gregory
      Genre: historical fiction
      Publisher: Touchstone
      Publishing Date: August 14
      Summary: The Kingmaker’s Daughter is the gripping story of the daughters of the man known as the “Kingmaker,” Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick: the most powerful magnate in fifteenth-century England. Without a son and heir, he uses his daughters Anne and Isabel as pawns in his political games, and they grow up to be influential players in their own right. In this novel, her first sister story since The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory explores the lives of two fascinating young women.
      At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Married at age fourteen, she is soon left widowed and fatherless, her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. Anne manages her own escape by marrying Richard, Duke of Gloucester, but her choice will set her on a collision course with the overwhelming power of the royal family and will cost the lives of those she loves most in the world, including her precious only son, Prince Edward. Ultimately, the kingmaker’s daughter will achieve her father’s greatest ambition.

      ~

      Title: The Inn at Rose Harbor
      Author: Debbie Macomber
      Genre: fiction, romance
      Publisher: Ballantine Books
      Publishing Date: August 14
      Summary: Jo Marie Rose first arrives in Cedar Cove seeking a sense of peace and a fresh start. Coping with the death of her husband, she purchases a local bed-and-breakfast—the newly christened Rose Harbor Inn—ready to begin her life anew. Yet the inn holds more surprises than Jo Marie can imagine.
      Her first guest is Joshua Weaver, who has come home to care for his ailing stepfather. The two have never seen eye to eye, and Joshua has little hope that they can reconcile their differences. But a long-lost acquaintance from Joshua’s high school days proves to him that forgiveness is never out of reach and love can bloom even where it’s least expected.
      The other guest is Abby Kincaid, who has returned to Cedar Cove to attend her brother’s wedding. Back for the first time in twenty years, she almost wishes she hadn’t come, the picturesque town harboring painful memories from her past. And while Abby reconnects with family and old friends, she realizes she can only move on if she truly allows herself to let go.

      Sounds very much like a Maeve Binchy novel! Worth checking out.

      ~

      Title: The Shadow Queen: A Novel of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
      Author: Rebecca Dean
      Genre: historical fiction
      Publisher: Broadway
      Publishing Date: August 14
      Summary: Two lovers. Two very different lives. One future together that will change history.
      When debutante Wallis Simpson is growing up, she devotes her teenage daydreams to one man, the future King of England, Prince Edward. But it’s Pamela Holtby, Wallis’s aristocratic best friend, who mixes within the palace circle. Wallis’s first marriage to a dashing young naval pilot is not what she dreamt of; he turns out to be a dominating bully of a man, who punishes her relentlessly. But her fated marriage does open a suprising door, to the world of Navy couriers – where navy wives are being used to transport messages around the world. This interesting turn of fate takes Wallis from the exuberant social scene in Washington to a China that is just emerging from civil war. Edward in the meantime is busy fulfilling his royal duties – and some extra-curricular ones involving married women. Until the day, just before he ascends the throne as Edward VIII, he is introduced to a very special married woman, Wallis Simpson.
      Was Wallis Simpson really the monster the royal family perported her to be? Or was she an extraordinary woman who led an unimaginable life? A dramatic novel, that crosses continents and provides a unique insight into one of history’s most charismatic and multi-faceted women.

      Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: romance, upcoming books
    • Book Review: “Tiger Lily” by Jodi Lynn Anderson

      Posted at 9:26 pm by Laura, on August 9, 2012

      Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

      Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn’t believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

      Peter is unlike anyone she’s ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland’s inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything–her family, her future–to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she’s always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

      With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it’s the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who’s everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

      Before Wendy, there was Tiger Lily. This lovely tale is told to the reader through Tink’s observations. Tink is witty, honest, and such a fiery and perceptive sprite who cares far more about the well-being of her dear Tiger Lily than her status as near-bug. Tink leaves her family in the swamps to observe this quiet, stone-like girl and her growing relationship with the forbidden Pan and his lost boys.

      Such a neat twist to the original story! Tinker Bell is not the jealous fairy we’ve all known, Tiger Lily isn’t unintelligent, Hook isn’t mad but is certainly ill, Smee isn’t a blubbering idiot but rather a man with an agenda, and Wendy is the epitome of unwanted colonization.

      It’s an interesting young adult book with so many adult concepts packed within. Wendy and, prior to her arrival, Phillip, demonstrate the English’s desire to colonize natives of a new land. Phillip’s talk of religion and Wendy’s need to show the “proper” gender roles and take the boys home to a “safe” environment all echo every colonization story and history. Tiger Lily’s camp’s response fits the typical swaying and dissent natives would react towards colonizers. And then, of course, there’s the love story: the concept of various kinds of love, who is “right” for whom, the first love not always the best love. Tiger Lily and Peter Pan love one another, without really knowing what love is and what they want from each other. It’s not until Wendy arrives that both truly begin to understand that love comes in many forms for many reasons.

      Apart from this analytical outlook and late night ramblings, I really did enjoy this. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read twists on fairy tales and twists on classic literature (without it destroying the original story). Fun thing to note: Tink’s description of fairies evolving from dragon flies left such a deep image in my mind that I found it endearing and enchanting all at once!

      Rating: ★★★★
      Goodreads: 4.05

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Court Accepts ABA/B&N Brief in DoJ Price Fixing Case – PW

      Posted at 8:38 pm by Laura, on August 7, 2012

      Court Accepts ABA/B&N Brief in DoJ Price Fixing Case – Publisher’s Weekly – Jim Milliot

      The ABA and Barnes & Noble joint motion to file a friend of the court brief as part of the hearing to approve the final settlement between the Department of Justice and Hachette, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins has been granted by Judge Denise Cote who will rule on the judgment later this year. In granting the motion, however, Judge Cote determined that the two organizations’ motion would serve as the amicus brief and that no new submissions would be permitted.

      Oh boy oh boy. The DoJ drama increases!

      Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged ebooks, news, publishing
    ← Older posts
    Newer posts →
    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
    • Search the Blog

    • Currently Reading

    • Book Review Rating Key

      ★★★ — It’s good
      ★★★★ — It’s great
      ★★★★★ — OMG LOVE!!!

    • Recent Posts

      • MSWL for 2026
      • Favorite Reads of 2025
      • Deal Announcement: Nina Moreno, YA Romance
      • Deal Announcement: Sharon Choe, YA Fantasy
      • Deal Announcement: Hanna R. Neier, MG Historical/Contemporary

Blog at WordPress.com.

Scribbles & Wanderlust
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Scribbles & Wanderlust
    • Join 1,202 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Scribbles & Wanderlust
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...